Princess Kassie, daughter of chess goddess Caïssa and the god of war, Mars, awaits a day-long celebration on Chess Mountain in honor of her twelfth birthday. But the celebration is not to be, because the previous night, her friend and fellow god, Dimitri, did not return home after visiting her. Dimitri’s parents blame his disappearance on Caïssa and Mars, and declare war upon their kingdom. Kassie is whisked away to dreaded Earth, and hides out as a mortal in a NYC outpost. She enrolls in school, and humans surprise her. But she must beware of possible kingdom enemies in her midst. Caught up in her classmates’ conflicts with a chess bully, Kassie struggles to help without revealing her identity and compromising the safety of Chess Mountain.